Reviews

Microsoft Surface Pro: the Perfect Tablet for on the Go + Huge Savings & Giveaway

This is a Fashionista Event and a promotional item was provided to me. Hosts for this event are Still Blonde after all these Years and ModlyChic.

Are you still looking for the perfect gift for the techie on your shopping list? Or, do you need a new computer for yourself? If you are like me, you want a new portable tablet or laptop computer that lets you do everything you need to do. For me, that means being able to work on my blog, edit photos, send and receive emails, check into Facebook several times a day, and more. But, the most important feature I need is that my tablet be lightweight. I spend my time online sitting in my recliner with my laptop on my lap. I take it everywhere I go, whether spending the night with my son or youngest daughter who live fifty miles away, or visiting my oldest daughter who lives across the country. I don’t want to be dragging a heavy piece of equipment through the airport and onto the plane, or sitting with it on my lap all day.

The Microsoft Surface Pro perfect laptop/tablet for anyone who uses their lap for a desk. It is easily portable to the local coffee shop or to a meeting on the opposite coast. Don’t let the light weight fool you, though, because this unit is packed with Windows 10, Intel Graphics, up t 16 GB ram, up t 1 TB hard drive, Full-size USB 3.0, microSD card reader, Headset jack, Mini Display Port, Cover port , and Surface Connect, and more. Check it out at the Microsoft Store online.

Microsoft offers free shipping and free returns, plus an extended Holiday Return & Exchange Policy! Products, subscriptions, and services purchased from the Microsoft Store between November 11, 2016 and December 31, 2016 may be returned or exchanged until January 31, 2017, subject to their other return/exchange guidelines.

The best part? Starting 12/4/2016 Save $150 on Microsoft Surface Pro 4 i5 128GB (Exp. 12/24) That is huge!

WIN a $500 Microsoft Store gift card! Entry Requirements: US ONLY, 18 years and older, Giveaway runs from 12-9, 2016 to 1-6, 2017 11:59 PM EST. Giveaway is for one $500 Microsoft Store gift card. Use the Rafflecopter giveaway form below to enter. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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New Family Games From Gigamic

Karen · 4 Comments

I received product from Gigamic in exchange for this review. There are affiliate links in this post.
If your family loves to play games, Gigamic has the games for you! Gigamic has games brain games for every member of the family. They have been in business in France since 1991, when they published Quarto. Gigamic now has 3o games in their line-up, and sells their games in more than 50 countries worldwide. The rules of the games are translated into 30 different languages!

The signatures of a Gigamic product are a short explanation and fast playing time, designed for the needs of today’s time-sensitive and budget-conscious working families while providing an engaging and entertaining challenge.

I received two games from Gigamic, Gloobz and El Capitan. I sent the El Capitan game to my autistic grandson in England, because it is a memory game with a pirate theme to it. He was born on Talk Like a Pirate Day, and has always loved anything that has to do with Pirates.

gigamic games — El Capitan Game from Gigamic

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of him with the game, but I know that he loves it. To play El Capitan, you memorize your cards. After the players have memorized their cards, one player flips a card. Each player then tries to be the first to place a matching card from his memorized cards on the one that was flipped. The Pirate with the most money at the end of the game wins. El Capitan is fast paced, and is good a learning tool for memorization. El Capitan is recommended for players age 6 and up, and from 2 to 6 can play at one time. Recommended for memory, reactivity, and ambiance.

To buy El Capitan, click here.

The second game I received was Gloobz. This is a fun and fast paced game, too. The game contains a deck of 56 Gloobz cards, 3 white Gloobz figurines, 3 paint pot figurines, 1 multicolored MegaGloobz figurine, and 6 score tracker cards.

To set up the game you put all the figurines in a circle big enough to contain the deck of cards, and a discard pile. The number of points needed to win the game depends on the number of players. If you have 2 o 3 players, the first person to get to a score of 36 wins. For 4 or 5 players, the first person to get to 24 points wins, and for 6 players, the first person to get to 18 points wins.

To play, the youngest player pulls a card from the deck and turns it over. Each player then tries to pick up the correct figurines according to what is shown on the card. For each correct figurine picked up, you score one point. For each incorrect figurine picked up, you lose one point. It is a really fun game to play, especially when you have everyone grabbing for the same figurines! Gloobz is recommended for ages 6 and over. From 2 to 6 players can play at one time. The average games takes about 20 minutes to play.

One player calls out “More Gloobz” or “Less Gloobz” before flipping a card. Players scramble to grab the correct pieces in order to score points. When the MegaGloobz or Magnifying Glass appear, the rules change!

To buy Gloobz, click here.

WIN IT! One winner will win their choice of El Capitan or Gloobz from Gigamic Games. Use the Giveaway Tools entry form to enter. Good Luck!

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Home Chef Unboxing-What’s In The Box? And A Giveaway

Karen · 57 Comments

I received product from Home Chef, but all opinions are my own.

When Home Chef asked me to review one of their meal delivery boxes, I was happy to do it, because I had already been looking at their ads and their website. I absolutely hate going to the grocery store week after week. I bring the same things home every week, and we get tired of eating the same old things. Also, some days I am just too exhausted to cook. I have often thought that if all the stuff to make a recipe was already prepped, and in one bag, so that all I had to do was grab the bag out of the refrigerator and start cooking, without having to do the chopping, peeling, mincing, and all that other stuff, then I could do it, tired or not. Take a look at my un-boxing video, and you will see that to me, this is my idea of a dream come true. Food, delivered to my front porch, already prepped, and ready to cook! After viewing the video below, scroll on down to enter the giveaway!

Here are some of the things I like about Home Chef:

Home Chef Variety:

Home Chef offers 13 new meal delivery opting each week. You can choose from gluten free, low carb, vegetar-free, and nut-free meal plans. They truly do have something for everyone.

Home Chef Flexibility:

You can change your delivery day, change the number of meals or servings you get, or skip a week. You can also pause your account when you won’t need to make an order for a while. I love this part, because if I have plans to be out of town, I sure don’t need a food delivery sitting on the porch for days!

Home Chef Simplicity:

You don’t have to go to the grocery store, or make a meal plan. Just order from the menu on the website, an they deliver everything you need to make home cooked meals. From Scratch. In about 30 minutes. All the chopping, dicing, mincing, peeling, done. You don’t have to buy full size bottles of ingredients you have never used before. If a recipe calls for Marsala wine, they include it, in just the amount you need. No waste. I love it.

Home Chef Makes A Great Gift!

Home Chef Meal Delivery would make an excellent gift for grandparents, aunts, uncles, Moms and Dads, just about anyone on your holiday shopping list. I know I woud love to get this as a gift. Receiving a home meal delivery package like this would give me time because I wouldn’t have to go to the grocery store, or do all the prep for the meals, and it would give me good food. My husband really loved the meals I have made so far.

Home Chef BUY IT:

Enjoy 3 Free Meals with Home Chef!
If you want to try Home Chef, use my affiliate link to order, and I will get free food. It will NOT make your order cost more. As a matter of fact, you can save $30 on your first order from Home Chef

Home Chef WIN IT:

One lucky reader will win a Home Chef Delivery consisting of 2 meals for 2 people (a total of 4 servings) As the winner, you can choose which meals you want in your box. You will also be able to purchase additional meals if you wish. Use the Giveaway Tools entry form to enter. Thanks, and good luck!

Entry -Form

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Acu-Rite Announces My Acu-Rite Smart Home Environmental Monitoring System

Karen · 103 Comments

I received product in exchange for this post.

AcuRite has been well known for many years for bringing you the weather in your area with their many products, such as Personal Weather Stations, Barometers, Thermometers, and more. I have had one of their Personal Weather Stations for over a year now, and I really love it! I can look online with I am away from home, and see exactly what the weather is doing at home. I can see at a glance any day, any time, what the temperature is, how much rain has fallen, and what direction the wind is blowing. I can think of many reasons to know what the weather is going to be doing at any time of the day. For things like party planning, planting flowers, mowing the lawn, washing the car and many more activities, the Personal Weather Station is a great thing to have. Now, they are introducing their Smart Home Environmental Monitoring System.

Acu-Rite Smart Home Environmental Monitoring System

AcuRite asked me to tell you about another great system they have: The Smart Home Environmental Monitoring System. With the Smart Home Environmental Monitoring System, you can access your indoor and outdoor environment from any computer or mobile device. You can receive alerts about changing conditions for things you care about so you can stay one step ahead of changes that could affect loved ones and pets, the structure of homes and buildings, as well as belongings.

Here are just a few of the things you can monitor with your Smart Home Environmental Monitoring System:

Minimize potential for water damage with water leak detection
Monitor air quality to prevent mold and allergens with high indoor temperature and humidity alerts
Protect musical instruments and collectables with low indoor humidity alerts
Prevent frozen pipes with low temperature alerts
Prevent flood damage with excessive rainfall alerts
Prevent wind-related damage with high wind alerts
Properly water lawn, flowers and garden with rainfall tracking
Know the best time to plant with soil temperature monitoring
Prevent frost damage to plants with low outdoor temperature alerts
Remotely monitor pool, hot tub, pond, fountain and aquarium temperature
Ensure ideal sleeping conditions for bedrooms and nurseries
Save on energy costs by making sure heating and cooling systems are operating efficiently, and checking for drafts and leaks
Plan outdoor activities with reliable weather forecasts and conditions measured right in a user’s back yard

All New My AcuRite Features

Customizable alerts include email and phone notifications about conditions you want to track
Ability to connect up to 10 indoor and outdoor monitoring sensors
Compatible with a full range of environmental sensors, including water leak detectors and liquid and soil temperature sensors
Expandable to track additional locations or properties
Current conditions dashboard with 12-hour trend charts
Charting and graphing of historical data for analysis and download
My AcuRite mobile apps for Android and iPhone
Integrated five (5) day and 36-hour weather forecast
Share home conditions to keep family, friends and even neighbors informed
Rapid Fire updates to Weather Underground

What this all means to me is that I can monitor the temperature of the water in my new pond, and take the necessary steps to weatherize it long before it has a chance to freeze. I can also monitor the temperature on my back porch, so that I can make sure the water pipes back there don’t freeze. There is so much more you can do with this Smart Home Environmental System. What would YOU monitor?

AcuRite Temperature and Humidity Station with 3 Sensors + Spot Check

AcuRite HD Temperature & Humidity Station with 3 Sensors + Liquid & Soil Temperature

AcuRite Color Multi-Sensor Display with 4-Zone Capability (Display ONLY)

AcuRite smartHUB with My AcuRite Remote Monitoring

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Make Your Next Party A Candy Buffet With Celebration by Frey

Karen · 76 Comments

This is a Fashionista Event and a promotional item was provided to me by Celebration by Frey. Hosts for this event are Still Blonde after all these Years and ModlyChic.

Summer is always a fun time for a party. There are just so many things to celebrate, from birthdays, to 4th of July, to just being together as a family. The next time your family gets together, make the party memorable with a candy buffet. It’s so easy to do with Celebration by Frey.

Celebration Frey Candy — A summer party is more fun with a candy buffet.

First, decide what will be the “base” of your buffet. Will it be cookies, to decorate with Sixlets and Crumbles? Or is it going to be ice cream sundaes with Sixlet sprinkles, Bubblegum balls, and Google Eyes? I decided to make a batch of Chocolate Devil’s Food Gluten Free Cupcakes, and let my guests decorate with their choice of frosting, whipped cream, and candies from the beautiful candy buffet, using an assortment of candies from Celebration by Frey. These candies are so versatile, you will keep going back to them time after time.

Celebration Frey Candies make great cupcake toppings.

Celebration by Frey candies can be found at major retailers nationwide, including Walmart, Target, Party City and Michael’s. Celebration by Frey candies are available in many different colors and formats including Gumballs, Sixlets, Pearls and Candy Crumble. They also have achieved a beautiful Shimmer finish on their products that sets them apart from the competition. Using Celebration by Frey products is the perfect way to enhance any party.

Celebration Frey Candies come in so many colors!

Great news! One lucky reader of Fabgrandma.com will win a $50 prize pack of asssorted candies from Celebration by Frey! There is one mandatory entry: Visit the Celebration by Frey website and then leave a comment on this post. The giveaway is open to entrants who are 18+ in the US. Good luck! I hope you win! OH, don’t forget to scroll all the way down, to find the linky where you will have 24 more chances to win at 24 other blogs!

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Wildlife Children’s Dish Sets From Lassig Are So Cute!

Karen · Leave a Comment

I received product from HABA for this review.

Lassig wildlife dish sets for children at Haba — Parker loved his new dishes.

When I received this cutie cute dish set from Lassig distributed by HABA, I really considered for just a minute keeping it for myself. They are that cute! But when Parker came to visit last weekend, I gave it to him, and he really loved them.

Lassig Little Fox dishes from Habausa — Parker eating his lunch on his new Little Fox Dishes from Lassig.

His Mom brought him a lunch from a fast food place in town, so we put his chicken tenders and french fries on his new Little Tree Fox plate for him to eat. The food that he had refused just minutes before was suddenly so delicious! LOL.

Lunch was served on Lassig Little Fox dishes for children

Parker liked the Little Fox dishes because they had “dogs” on them. But Mommy and I liked that the cup, plate and bowl had a rubber like pad on the bottom that kept it from moving around on the table. This helped prevent spills, I am sure.

Lassig Little Fox Chidrens Dishes available at Habausa — The cup, plate and bowl have a non-slip bottom!

These Children’s Dish Sets by Lassig are available at HABA USA, and retail for $28.99. They encourage independence and promote healthy eating. The brightly colored and virtually unbreakable dishes come in a set includes tray with four compartments, bowl, mug, and spoon. Available in 10 different cheerful designs: Elephant, Turtle, Birdie, Tiger, Giraffe, Rhino, Starlight Magento, Starlight Olive, Fawn and Fox. They are dishwasher safe and suitable for 12 months+. Parker turned 3 years old in January, and he absolutely loved them. Here are a couple of the other designs:

Little Birdie Children's Dish set by Lassig — Little Birdie Children’s Dish set by Lassig

ddd — Little Tree Fawn Children’s Dish Set by Lassig.

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Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4 Slice Toaster Oven: The Only Toaster Oven with A Roll-Top Door!

Karen · 2 Comments

I received an Easy Reach 4 Slice Toaster Oven from Hamilton Beach for this review. All opinions are my own.

Hamilton Beach sent me this Easy Reach 4 Slice Toaster Oven in April, but things have been extra crazy around here, and the box just sat there by the front door since it arrived. I have tried to find time to at least open the box so many times! Today, I had company coming for dinner, and I was planning to make a Raspberry Trifle for dessert. I was cooking the meat outside on the grill, and the company was bringing the baked sweet potatoes, slaw and lima beans, so Igot the Easy Reach 4 Slice Toaster Oven out of the box, and used it to bake the cake. That way, I didn’t have to light up my big oven, and it wouldn’t be hot in the kitchen when company arrived.

When I got the Easy Reach Toaster Oven out of the box, I couldn’t believe I waited so long! This toaster oven is smaller than the one I owned before, so it takes up way less space on my counter top. As a matter of fact, it takes up so much less space that I can now keep my Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer on the counter, too! This is the only toaster oven with a roll top door. Because it rolls up, instead of opening down, food can’t spill on it. Let me repeat that: Food. Can’t. Spill. On. It. Because food can’t spill on it, it is easier to clean up. Oh, AND, the roll top door comes off! You can take the door off, and wash it in the sink (not in the dishwasher). And, since you can take the door off, it is much easier to reach the inside which makes for easier cleaning there, too.

Easy Reach 4 Slice Toaster Oven With Roll Top Door by Hamilton Beach

Even though this oven is small, it is big enough to hold an 8″ X 8″ baking pan, or a 9″pizza. I baked the cake for my Raspberry Trifle in it today.

Easy Reach 4 Slice Toaster Oven With Roll Top Door — Easy Reach 4 Slice Toaster Oven by Hamilton Beach

The only thing I did not like was that it browned unevenly. I had to rotate the pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking time for it to brown fully on the top.

Other than that, the cake was baked evenly done at the end. Although this photo looks like the cake burned a little on the top, it did not. It was browned beautifully in real life.

cake for raspberry trifle — Golden brown at the end of baking time.

Just look at how my Raspberry Trifle turned out!

Here are the features of the Easy Reach 4 Slice Toaster Oven With Roll Top Door from Hamilton Beach:

Unique roll-top door
Easy access to food
Easy access to countertop
Easy to keep clean—food can’t spill on door
Fits 4 slices or a 9” pizza
Bake, broil and toast functions
Removable door for easy cleanup
30 minute timer with automatic shutoff or optional stay on
Includes bake pan and rack with 2 positions
Front-access crumb tray slides out for easy cleanup
Dimensions (inches): 8.97 H x 16.12 W x 11.93 D

The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4 Slice Toaster Oven is available at Target.com for $34.99 and at HamiltonBeach.com.

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Aureus Shoes For Men: Fabgrandpa Loves Them

Karen · 3 Comments

I received a pair of shoes for Fabgrandpa in exchange for review.

Fabgrandpa has been looking for a comfortable pair of shoes for, probably, ever. He needs a shoe that has good support, and that is comfortable. He wants shoes that also look good on his feet. When I received an email asking if I would like to review a pair of Aureus shoes, we looked at the website together, and decided to accept the offer.

The shoes Fabgrandpa chose are the Aureus Fortis. They are crafted with genuine leather inside and out. The padded tongue and collar, and elastic laces make these shoes very comfortable. Fabgrandpa especially likes the elastic laces. He can slip these shoes on quickly and not have to bend over to tie them. With his vertigo, tying his shoes has been a real problem, so that is eliminated with these shoes. AM-TECH® Sole Technology makes the sole impossible to separate, but doesn’t sacrifice comfort and lightweight. I like that they are made with an anti-slip soles so that slip and fall incidents are not likely to happen.

The Fortis shoes by Aureus look good on Fabgrandpa's feet. — The Fortis shoes by Aureus look good on Fabgrandpa’s feet.

Aureus has several different styles and collections of men’s shoes, so you should be able to find just the right shoe for yourself, or for Dad or your husband for any occasion. Just look how good Fabgrandpa looks in his Fortis shoes:

fortis shoes from aureus — Fabgrandpa styling in his Fortis shoes by Aureus

About the brand:

The Aureus brand started out manufacturing gold shoes, and grew in name among industry professionals such as PGA-major winners Larry Mize, Scott Timpson, John Mahaffey, and legendary Raymond Floyd. In 2014, Aureus expanded to include casual and lifestyle footwear. The backbone of why the shoes are so popular is not only the look, or theprice point, but the overall comfort.

Each Aureus brand shoe provides the consumer the greatest possible comfort with the least amount of sole separation. The company only uses 100 percent genuine top grade leather for the shoe uppers and inner linings. Now there is no more “sole searching!” The Aureus brand is known for:

AM-TECH® Sole Technology by AUREUS® is a scientifically driven shoe soling construction that is extremely rare in the footwear industry. Its complexity and difficulty in perfecting during the manufacturing phase makes it state-of-the-art, and its outsole features are one of a kind.
AUREUS® uses 100% genuine nubuck leather for its upper and inner lining, making it 100% breathable. This gives our shoes a premium feel along with smoothness and durability. These shoes are beautiful on the outside and the inside.
All AUREUS footwear comes included with a reusable shoe tree. A shoe tree is used to maintain the original shape of the shoes and to limit the amount of wrinkles on the surface of the leather.

From wonderful wingtips to handsome every day shoes https://www.aureus-usa.com, Aureus is elevating mod mans’ style one colorful, comfortable step at a time. The new spring lineup introduces seven new brands and the classic brands include the Men’s Aureus Fortis which consistently ranks among one of the top comfort shoes and the Men’s Aureus Maximus Premium/Supreme.

Which style of Aureus shoes would you pick?

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